In this guide
Goals, behinds and the totalThe ladder now sends ten teams towards finalsBoth wildcard results can affect the next opponentThe Australian Football League plays Australian rules football. Its scoreline combines six-point goals and one-point behinds; the larger total decides the match, rather than the goal count alone.
The 2026 men’s AFL finals added a wildcard round. Older descriptions that stop qualification at the top eight miss the extra stage now played by teams finishing seventh to tenth.
Goals, behinds and the total
A score written 12.8 (80) means twelve goals and eight behinds: twelve times six, plus eight, equals eighty. The dot separates scoring categories; it is not a decimal point.
A team can have fewer goals but more total points if the behind difference is large enough. To compare two lines on the scoreboard, use the total in parentheses or calculate it from both components.
The ladder now sends ten teams towards finals
The top six teams receive a week off after the home-and-away season. Seventh plays tenth and eighth plays ninth in the wildcard round. Those two winners join the top six; the two losers are eliminated.
This produces an eight-team field after the extra round. “Top ten” describes entry to the expanded finals pathway, while “final eight” describes the field once the wildcard games have reduced it.
Both wildcard results can affect the next opponent
Fifth plays the lower-ranked wildcard winner and sixth plays the higher-ranked winner. Consequently, one wildcard result cannot always identify both next-round pairings by itself.
The distinction is useful when reading a programme announced before both results are known. A conditional opponent slot represents the ranking process still to be completed. It does not imply that fifth or sixth must play the same wildcard bracket regardless of who wins.